Members of Herts Baseball Club joined BBC London Radio’s Wednesday Night Sports Show to look ahead to the upcoming Herts Baseball Little League season as the players returned for pre-season training last Sunday after the winter break.
Host Nick Godwin spoke with Jonny Compton-Weight who is a member of the Herts Cardinals team competing in the Herts Little League and also represented Herts nationally as a member of the Herts All Stars who are the reigning Under-14 National Champions.
Herts Baseball Club’s youth teams began their pre-season training as they prepare for the start of the 2011 Herts Little League season and the national championships which the Herts boys and girls will be involved in this year.
Usually Spring Training for the Herts youth teams begins in March or April, but this year the League decided to make use of the good indoor facilities which are available in Dacorum Borough and to give the young players a chance to start playing earlier after the winter close season. Despite the fact that the session was held at a significant distance away from the club’s home ballpark and it clashed with the football, rugby and other youth sports fixtures, the young baseball players came out in force. Amongst the players were many new faces joining the Herts baseball family.
Spring Training is also the time for coaches to get ready for the season. 15 coaches were involved in running 16 stations simultaneously, covering all aspects of the game of baseball. This enabled the teams to go through an intensive 2-hour session covering a large amount of baseball work, despite the limited space available for the large number of players who were involved.
This is just the start of Spring Training. Over the next few weeks Herts will be carrying out various recruitment activities to grow its youth programme further and reaffirm its status as one of the best youth baseball organisations in the country.
Last year the club’s Under-14 Herts All-Stars team became National Champions completing the season with an unbeaten record of 10 wins and no losses. They clinched the British title against their old rivals, the London Mets, in an unforgettable 2-1 win. A large number of the players from that Championship-winning team will be ready to make the step up to the Under-17 league. They will face tougher opponents and that will be the best way for them to continue their development as Herts players. With players moving to the Under-17 age group, the opportunity will open up for a new generation of Under-14 year olds to defend the National title. This will be a fantastic boost for the many Herts players who have not had the opportunity to experience baseball at the national level in the past.
As Herts players move up to the older age groups they will have a big challenge on their hands playing against tougher opponents. The club is determined to get the community in and around Hertfordshire involved in what will be another exciting season of Herts baseball.
Note: For more details about joining the Herts Baseball Little League visit www.hertsbaseball.com and contact the club. Boys and girls aged between 6 and 16 are eligible to play for the club’s youth teams. The Club welcomes players from complete beginners to experienced ballplayers. Players over the age of 16 can join up with the club’s adult teams who compete in the British Baseball Leagues.
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They came blinking into the watery sunlight from their winter hibernation. From across not only Hertfordshire but also north-west London, Buckinghamshire and even Northamptonshire, HBC ball-players took their first tentative steps into the Spring on Sunday. They gathered at Berkhamsted Sportspace to share tales of Christmas, to compare waistlines — and to start work on shrinking them.
This is how the 2011 baseball season began for the Herts club, looking to build on its historic 2010. Little Leaguers joined members of the National League Falcons and several novice players trying the game for the first time. It’s always good to see fresh faces at Spring Training. And it’s good to be reunited with last year’s fellow travellers. For the Raptors, where I played my games last year, the manager is back on board and he hopes to retain the core of the team which showed such promise as they were baptised by fire. Arnott, Gover, Drummond. These could be big names for the club by year’s end.
The Berkhamsted hall was a tremendous facility. We were able to create batting cages with the enormous net curtains, and to separate areas for pitching, infield and outfield drills. We revelled in the smooth surface and the even bounce as we practiced fielding ground balls — and we dreamt that Grovehill might one day be just as placid. I still managed to pick up my first bruise of the year, fielding one of those ground balls with my shin. We also recreated the struggles of Minnesota Twins outfielders as we played the ball’s carom off the lights, and the basketball equipment. All good fun.
More than a full team’s worth of players showed interest in the pitching masterclass offered by Eagles MVP, Darrin Ward. Which is a good sign — at this stage in the season, anything seems possible. One of the highlights of the experience was handling a pristine, white ball from a newly-opened box. There is something special about a new baseball, like the aroma of a fresh pack of coffee. In fact, it has an aroma of its own. And it has a texture unlike the practice balls which are worn to a slippy sheen; it has real seams, standing proud. Is it a bit geeky to even notice the new ball? Maybe. But I think it’s one of the most touchable of the game’s intangibles.
And now how do I feel, 48 hours on? An extraordinary aching which had tried to paralyse my body seems to be fading. Slightly. Playing baseball does have a far harder effect on the body than my usual choice of exercise — such as running, or cycling, or even sometimes the weights. I don’t know if it’s the repeated impact involved. And of course part of it is that I am a year older. When I took up baseball I had recently turned thirty, and was training to run 10k races. Several surgeries, two children and many years later, I still look ahead to a year thinking “This time I’ll get in better shape….” At some point reality dawns that I will probably never recapture that youthful elasticity. But at least you know that the waistline may have got the message.
The clock has struck midnight and 2011 has arrived, but more importantly, this means that Spring Training for baseball clubs across the country is just around the corner. New Year’s resolutions for those involved in British baseball are far from run-of-the-mill. A call-up to the first team, better batting average, becoming the first choice shortstop or securing a spot in the team’s pitching rotation are just some of the targets which players set for themselves ahead of the new season. Coaches also have baseball on their mind. They hope to discover a new talent or pick up that key player who will make the difference and turn a struggling team into an unbeatable machine.
Herts’ adult teams will go into the new year after a difficult 2010 season. The club’s four adult teams had a combined record of 33 wins and 50 losses (W-L% .398). Only the Seattle Mariners (.377) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (.352) had a worse record.
Every new season is different but for Herts Baseball Club one thing remains unchanged – throughout its history the Herts youth and adult teams have never gone into a new season as the favourites. They have always been the underdogs. 2011 will be no different, even for the championship-winning Herts All Stars most of who will be moving to the Under-17 age group which will be a big challenge.
Despite this, over the years Herts have managed to triumph against all odds. From the Falcons’ incredible bottom of the ninth inning walk-off win in the 2004 postseason playoffs and clinching the AAA National title in 2008 to last year’s win by the Herts All Stars against the odds-on favourites London Mets and the Herts Eagles’ phenomenal run in the AAA postseason.
Herts Baseball Club prides itself on the ability to attract so many players who are completely new to the game of baseball. The Club has welcomed everybody who wants to wear the Herts jersey regardless of ability or level of experience. This has turned Herts into the largest and most respected club in the UK. The club’s coaching staff deserves tremendous credit for being able to put together teams of rookies in the space of just a few weeks of Spring Training, sending them into battle against opponents with many years of baseball under their belt. This is exactly what will be needed during the vital pre-season period this Spring. The club does not have the power hitters or the 90mph flame-throwers, but will be counting on the team spirit, togetherness and loyalty of its members and supporters.
Can they do it? Can Herts make 2011 The Year of the Underdog once again?
The adult players will be reporting for their first Spring Training session on Sunday 16 January 2011, while the youth teams start on Sunday, 6 February 2011. These first few sessions will take place indoors.
Baseball has become one of the fastest growing sports in Hertfordshire and those who want to give it a try should get in touch with the club for full details of how to get involved. The Club can offer baseball for boys and girls as young as 6 and for men and women as old as 50 and above, regardless of their level of baseball experience.
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Earlier this month Herts Baseball Club announced its 2011 members of staff. On the eve of the New Year the Executive Board of the club has confirmed that four more members have been added.
Nic Goetz has been installed in the Sponsorship Manager position. The current economic environment is not ideal for sponsorship activities but there are still opportunities out there which are worth exploring.
The Media Department headed by Rob Jones is receiving the biggest boost with three new members joining the team. As confirmed earlier, Bruce Dullea is back with his insightful baseball column “Dullea of Game” which will give readers a new perspective on the big leagues through the eyes of the Big Unit.
Rod Naghar and Herts legend, Paul Raybould, hosted the first ever live TV broadcast on the Herts Baseball Channel a few weeks ago and they will be part of the team which will be looking to deliver more TV programming in 2011.
These additions increase the total number of staff members to 15 which is the largest in the club’s history. There are still a few more positions which the Club will be hoping to fill shortly so that number will increase further.
Is Nickolas Martinez asking the Queen to autograph a baseball or is the Queen
hoping to get the signature of one of Herts Baseball’s most promising young talents?
Members of Herts Baseball Club are celebrating Christmas this weekend in all corners of the world from America to Japan, but one Herts family in particular had the honour of celebrating together with the Royal family . The Queen and other royals made their traditional appearance after morning service at Sandringham, the monarch’s country retreat in Norfolk.
Representing Herts Baseball was the Martinez family. Nickolas Martinez (pictured) met with the Queen. Herts Baseball Newswire will try to find out what the topic of discussion was. Were they discussing the Herts All Stars unforgettable win against the London Mets in the National Final this year or perhaps they were looking forward to next year and wondering which of the four Herts adult teams Martinez will be making his senior debut with in 2011.
The 2010 season was officially put to bed with the announcement of the 2010 award winners of Herts Baseball Club’s adult programme. The achievements of the Raptors, Hawks, Eagles and Falcons over the past 12 months were recognised at the club’s annual end of season event. This year the presentation took place at Leisure World in Hemel Hempstead.
Kimiyoshi Saionji was voted as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the Herts Falcons and he also picked up the Most RBI (16) and Home Run (2) trophies. In fact two home run trophies were presented as Petar Kikel also accumulated two home runs. Power-hitter Alex Ganster played only in the last few games of the NBL season so he was at a disadvantage but he would be expected to challenge Kikel and Saionji next season. Ganster was not left empty-handed as he deservedly received the Batting Champion title with a batting average of .467.
For the Herts Eagles there were many shining stars in what was a very successful year for the team but the list of award winners was dominated by three players in particular. In his first year with the club, Sri Lanka National Team player, Mahendra Prasad, won three of the award categories – Outfield Gold Glove, Most Stolen Bases and the Home Run title. Louis Hare received the Infield Gold Glove and the Best Pitcher award. For a third consecutive year Darrin Ward was voted as the MVP. He also received the batting title and Most RBI. Paul Auchterlounie’s contribution to the team’s success was also recognised as he received the Coach’s Award.
Six of the eight Hawks awards went to two of the team’s most exceptional players. The rise and rise of young prospect Hunter Devine within the organisation continues and he was awarded the Herts Batting title, Infield Gold Glove and Most Stolen Bases. Manager Greg Bochan led by example all year long and his team mates voted him as the 2010 Hawks MVP. He also received the Best Pitcher and Most RBI awards.
Jim Arnott was undoubtedly the outstanding player for the Raptors in 2010 so it was no surprise that he was voted as the team’s MVP. He also received the Best Pitcher, Most RBI and Rookie of the Year awards, the latter being a club-wide prize which recognizes Arnott as the best newcomer from the large group of first-year players in the Herts four adult teams. Third baseman Bobby Gould picked up the Batting title and the Stolen Bases award. Bryan Drummond had a tremendous year as one of the team’s key pitchers and his contribution in the outfield was also recognised with the reward of the Outfield Gold Glove. 2010 may have been Simon Elkington’s rookie year but he impressed everyone and spent the latter part of the season with the club’s AA team. His fantastic performances were rewarded with the Raptors Infield Gold Glove. Manager Ken Pike recognised the incredible contribution of catcher Will Belbin on and off the field presenting him with the Coach’s award.
Andy Cornish received the Excellence in Leadership award reflecting the club’s appreciation for his dedication and contribution in every department of the club. Most Improved Player trophy went to Ilya Dimitrov, to add to his Hawks Outfield Gold Glove. With a substantial majority of votes from club members the Play of the Year Award went to Liam Green for gunning down back-to-back Thames Valley runners at home plate in the same inning on balls hit to the outfield. Marty Cullen was voted as the Nob-Out Award winner for his bunting master class in front of the TV cameras. Fans of Herts Baseball Club can see this on digital channel Blighty where the programme will be shown early in 2011.
During the 2010 season members and friends of the club were involved in the Fantasy Baseball League competition with glittering prizes for the winners. As winners of the American and National leagues, Jason Greenberg and Andy Cornish will receive baseballs signed by Cleveland Indians star, Grady Sizemore and New York Mets gold glove winner, Carlos Beltran. Overall winner, Jason Greenberg picks up the grand prize of the Porsche Driving Experience, and it is understood that he is planning to donate it to the GB National Team programme if Porsche agree to transfer it. Both Jason Greenberg and Marty Cullen were key to securing the prizes for the winners and organising this fun competition which raised significant amount of money which will be invested in facilities and equipment at the club’s Grovehill Ballpark.
More images from the 2010 Herts Baseball Awards
FULL LIST OF 2010 AWARDS
HERTS FALCONS (NBL)
MVP, Kimiyoshi Saionji
Batting Champion, Alex Ganster (.467)
Infield Gold Glove, Luis Goncalves
Outfield Gold Glove, Jamie Munn
Best Pitcher, Petar Kikel (4 W)
Most Stolen Bases, Jamie Munn (12)
Home Run Champion, Petar Kikel (2)
Home Run Champion, Kimiyoshi Saionji (2)
Most RBIs, Kimiyoshi Saionji (16)
Coach’s Award, Brandon Deal
HERTS EAGLES (AAA)
MVP, Darrin Ward
Batting Champion, Darrin Ward
Infield Gold Glove, Louis Hare
Outfield Gold Glove, Mahendra Prasad
Best Pitcher, Louis Hare
Most Stolen Bases, Mahendra Prasad
Home Run Champion, Mahendra Prasad
Most RBIs, Darrin Ward
Coach’s Award, Paul Auchterlounie
HERTS HAWKS (AA)
MVP, Greg Bochan
Batting Champion, Hunter Devine
Infield Gold Glove, Hunter Devine
Outfield Gold Glove, Ilya Dimitrov
Best Pitcher, Greg Bochan
Most Stolen Bases, Hunter Devine
Most RBIs, Greg Bochan
Coach’s Award, Kal Dimitrov
HERTS RAPTORS (A)
MVP, Jim Arnott
Batting Champion, Bobby Gould
Infield Gold Glove, Simon Elkington
Outfield Gold Glove, Bryan Drummond
Best Pitcher, Jim Arnott
Most Stolen Bases, Bobby Gould
Most RBIs, Jim Arnott
Coach’s Award, Will Belbin
CLUB AWARDS
Rookie of the Year, Jim Arnott
Most Improved Player, Ilya Dimitrov
Excellence in Leadership, Andrew Cornish
Play of the Year, Liam Green
FANTASY BASEBALL AWARDS
National League Champion, Jason Greenberg (Carlos Beltran signed baseball)
American League Champion, Andy Cornish (Grady Sizemore signed baseball)
World Series Winner, Jason Greenberg (Porsche Driving Experience)
Ahead of the 2010 Herts Baseball Awards presentation for the club’s adult teams, players, coaches, family members and friends of the club took part in the club’s first Bowling Tournament at the Hotshots Bowling centre in Hemel Hempstead. The participants were divided into two teams – the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers – in a repeat of this year’s World Series. They were competing for individual and team honours over two games, with the individual and team averages over the two games used to determine the winners.
In the individual contest Tim Elkins had the advantage after the first round with a score of 152, followed by Jim Arnott (136), Rod Naghar (129) and Will Belbin (125). Surprisingly, the top four players from the first round were all pushed out of the medal positions after a wild dash in the final frames of the second round.
The final standings could not have been any closer as only one point separated third from second and second from first. The bronze medal was claimed by Herts Raptors Manager, Ken Pike, with an overall average of 134. Third baseman, Bobby Gould (135), took the silver medal, and the winner with an average of 136 was Raptors Pitcher, Bryan Drummond. The top three players were all members of the 2010 Raptors, which would suggest that the Raptors mean business as the gear up for the 2011 baseball season.
In the team competition the Giants had a healthy lead after the first round. Their team average was 94 compared to the Rangers’ 90. In the second round the Rangers stunned the Giants with a team average of 97, but that wasn’t quite enough to win the team title. The final team averages over the two rounds were Giants (94.41), Rangers (93.88).
More images from the Bowling Tournament
| GIANTS | LANE | Round1 | Round2 | AVG |
| Tim Elkins | B | 152 | 102 | 127.0 |
| Simon Elkington | C | 99 | 102 | 100.5 |
| Rebecca Neil | C | 67 | 69 | 68.0 |
| Ilya Dimitrov | E | 89 | 90 | 89.5 |
| Geoff Hare | B | 101 | 118 | 109.5 |
| Rob Crouch | DL | |||
| Rodney Naghar | B | 129 | 135 | 132.0 |
| Jon Gamble | C | 91 | 74 | 82.5 |
| Valerie | C | 61 | 92 | 76.5 |
| Ken Pike | E | 124 | 144 | 134.0 |
| Jim Arnott | E | 136 | 123 | 129.5 |
| Paul Auchterlounie | B | 72 | 86 | 79.0 |
| Lewis Auchterlounie | B | 16 | 22 | 19.0 |
| Nick Russell | C | 104 | 113 | 108.5 |
| Sarah Russell | C | 106 | 109 | 107.5 |
| Liam Green | F | 93 | 76 | 84.5 |
| Lewis Green | F | 64 | 62 | 63.0 |
| Andy Cornish | DL | |||
| TEAM AVERAGE | 94.00 | 94.81 | 94.41 |
The first signs of a big year were there even before the playing season began. The club had worked hard and raised money for years with the aim of laying a second diamond, so that the facilities would expand to match the numbers of players now turning out for the club. The grass on the new diamond had been laid last autumn, and in the Spring a bevy of talented ball-players turned out to help prepare the infield. The local police and the Mayor joined in for an operation which also involved a digger, a tipper truck, and mounds and mounds of gravel. The field was christened in competitive games in late May – fittingly the Little Leaguers were the first to enter the new era, with the Raptors staging a dramatic finale to the weekend in a nailbiting 31-30 defeat by Tonbridge.
The arrival of the second diamond meant the club could add several more firsts to the list for 2010. It was the venue for a new National League event, the Summer Classic, which saw all the teams playing competitive games at the same venue on the same day. And above all, Herts was able to host the National Baseball Championships for the first time. In September, clubs from Liverpool, Leicester and Richmond were among those joining Herts very own Eagles at two days of often thrilling baseball. It was a big step for the club on the national stage, and we will hear more about those Eagles later….
Before we move on to the details of the playing, we must pause briefly to marvel at the fact that the BBC allowed us to grace one of its flagship television programmes this year. In April, Mike Bushell from the BBC1 Breakfast show came to Grovehill to take part in a training session with Little League players and National League Falcons alike. It was all caught on camera, and won attention for the club and the sport across the UK. Mike gamely tried to field some fly balls, and tried to hit a Dan Kerry fastball — with a predictable lack of success. But he did really hit the balls that you see in the film, and ran the bases with enthusiasm.
And so to business. The Falcons would be the first to tell you they were disappointed with a 9-19 record. But there were struggles in both the pitching and the hitting departments, meaning that it was hard to put together a good run. Despite all of this, the Falcons fought to the very end of the season for a playoff place, and were only denied by a sweep by the Mildenhall Bulldogs in the final series of the season. And there were plenty of highlights. The brightest of them was the superb 2-1 win against the champions, Richmond, and their MVP pitcher Cody Cain. A home run from Kimiyoshi Saionji helped secure a famous win. The infield defense was perhaps the strongest part of the team, and Pete Kikel went from rookie upstart to established National League pitcher and hitter in just one year. The Falcons also added the big bat of Alex Ganster late in the season, and they are looking forward to fighting back next year.
The Eagles in the AAA division were Herts’ most successful adult team. Helped by the pitching of Darrin Ward and Louis Hare, and the ability to keep a consistent line-up together, they notched up an 18-6 record to qualify for the playoffs. Further victories ensured they would represent Herts at the first ever National Baseball Championships at Grovehill. They battled through to the semi-final to take on the ultimate champions, the Oxford Kings, but were undone in a game which turned on a controversial umpiring decision. The Eagles manager Lee Manning – who had represented his team with vigour all year – was justly proud of what they had achieved.
The Hawks had a tougher time of it, facing teams in the AA division who probably belonged higher up. Greg Bochan led the team in his customary spirit, and they always competed hard, even having been ruled out of post-season contention. They ended the year with a 5-13 record, claiming wins over Croydon, Brentwood and Horsham. Youngsters Perrie Sherman and Hunter Devine provided plenty of spark, while Simon Langton was a strong defensive addition in his year in Hertfordshire.
The Raptors had the worst record of any Herts team, but as a genuine development squad – packed with complete rookies – winning was not the measure of their achievements. It was all about learning and improving. They were thumped more than once, but also narrowly lost spectacular games against the Tonbridge Bobcats and the Chelmsford Clippers. The Raptors' one win of the season was on the road on a blazing hot Fourth of July, against the then-division leaders, the Braintree Rays. The shock 22-18 victory made the news in reports across the country, being described as “one of the results of the season” in British baseball. Players who had never before pulled on a glove – Jim Arnott, Bryan Drummond, Will Belbin – grew in stature as the season went on. The Raptors manager, Ken Pike, hopes to keep the core of the team together and secure a winning record next year.
Finally we move away from the adult teams, and on to the even brighter news about the future of the Herts Baseball Club – the youngsters. Another successful Little League summer came to a climax when the Herts All-Stars won the Little League National Championship in September. They reversed last year’s 1-0 defeat by the London Mets, beating their biggest rivals 2-1 to claim the crown. The All Stars went through their entire season unbeaten. It was a proud moment for the club, and for the large numbers of parents and coaches who regularly turned out to help the boys and girls develop their skills. And the National title was not the only good news for the youth programme. Liam Green, who only took up baseball when he became a founder member of the Herts Little League in 2007, was called up to the GB squad which went to the European Championship qualifiers in Sweden this summer.
And the club showed its commitment to youth in a quite extraordinary way – all four team managers had babies in the 12 months from the end of the 2009 season. Can any other club boast that sort of commitment? OK, maybe the managers didn’t actually have the babies – everyone knows the managers don’t do the hard work – but Sebastien, Riley, Nathan and Violet all have great futures ahead of them. Their parents adapted admirably to the challenges they face, and the family atmosphere at Grovehill was enhanced. Herts Baseball Club is looking forward to 2011 with confidence.
